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Bristol, bats and biodiversity
A group in south Bristol are on a mission to research our city’s bats and raise awareness about them.
Its work is in partnership with Manor Woods Valley Local Nature Reserve, which is part of a green corridor in Bristol currently endangered by a recent development proposition.
In 2022, Avon Bat Group started to monitor the flying mammals that live in trees or in the crevices of buildings with detectors installed in gardens, allotments and community farms. to find out what kind of bats lived in the area.
is needed now More than ever
Once they completed the research, members decided to involve the community, by sharing the results and campaigning for bat conservation in the area.
Bats make up about a third of all mammal species in the UK, with 18 different bat species nationally. Meanwhile, green corridors are highly important for the city, due to their connective nature of wildlife and fragmented habitats.
A bat detector deployed in a garden in Bristol – photo: Kelly Sheldrick
Kelly Sheldrick, a member of the Bat Group who undertook this work voluntarily, is a wildlife enthusiast and assistant ecologist.
“We have shared the bat list with the groups or people involved, sharing information on what they can do to help support the bats, and in some cases leading bat walks in the area, or having a stall/bat activities at community events, such as the nature day at Windmill Hill Community Farm and also Knowle West Fest at Filwood Community Centre,” she said.
This bat call sonogram is a social call of a brown long eared bat, thought to be associated with mating activity – photo: Kelly Sheldrick
Why are bats a marker of biodiversity?
Sheldrick explained that different species of bats prefer certain environments, roots and even different types of insects.
“This makes bats key indicator species of biodiversity. What that means is monitoring bats can tell us a lot about the state of our environment and the species within it,” she added.
“Because bats are indicators of biodiversity, whatever we do that helps bats will support biodiversity too.”
According to Sheldrick, two of the biggest threats to both bats and biodiversity are the loss of habitats and a diminishing food source.
Everyone can take steps to avoid these threats, starting from their own backyard. To increase insect populations one thing we all can do is putting wildlife-friendly ponds in our gardens, allotments or green spaces.
“Ponds are great for insects and also provide a water source for all wildlife, including bats and of course insects,” Sheldrick explained.
Planting insect-friendly flowers that provide pollen is another great step towards protecting biodiversity, said Sheldrick, adding that even if you don’t have a garden, a couple of flowers in a window box are also of help.
If you or your community are interested in learning more about bats, you can join at of Avon Bat Group.
This piece of independent journalism is supported by NatWest and the Bristol24/7 public and business membership
Main photo: Kelly Sheldrick
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